The parole request for the once prominent minister, who built a large nondenominational church in Arlington and mingled with celebrities, has been rejected. Hornbuckle, 51, founder of Agape Christian Fellowship, remains in prison serving his 15-year sentence for sexually assaulting three women, two of whom were members of his church. Testimony from his 2006 trial included details about how Hornbuckle drugged some of the women and smoked methamphetamine.

Few details about Hornbuckle’s stay at the Powledge Unit in Palestine are public information. A spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice would say that Hornbuckle works in the prison laundry and is classified as a G2 inmate. A G1 offender is eligible to be an outside trusty while a G5 is a chronic troublemaker. The length of an inmate’s sentence and type of crime can affect that classification.

If Hornbuckle isn’t granted parole in future attempts, he would be released by August 2020.

Despite the scandal, the church is still operating and is now run by his ex-wife Renee Fowler Hornbuckle. The church – which by some accounts lost as much as 90 percent of its members at one point – went through bankruptcy following the legal troubles and lawsuits.

The church might have gone under if not for the Barnett Shale gas boom. The church sold a portion of its property and mineral rights, which gave Agape enough money to pay off debt.

Fowler Hornbuckle wrote a self-published memoir that was released last year. In the book, Suffering in Silence, to have been physically and emotionally abused by her ex-husband.

In one instance, she doesn’t say when, Fowler Hornbuckle said her husband backhanded her and knocked her into a bathtub full of water. At another undisclosed time and location, she said he dragged her down a set of stairs by her leg.

Fowler Hornbuckle, who described herself as being in denial, wrote that none of the abuse was ever reported to police in part because of the fear it would become public.

“I was too close to see the patterns of behavior that were being used against me to gain and maintain absolute power,” Fowler Hornbuckle wrote.

The book is part memoir and part self-help guide with suggested mental exercises, coping strategies and safety planning guides.

“…This book is not about who did what or how the circumstances unfolded, but it is more about my personal journey, the lessons I learned, and how God brought me through,” she wrote

In additional to tips for neglected and abused women, Fowler Hornbuckle also defended herself. She wrote that she was unaware at first of the seriousness of the accusations against her husband and initially believed the claims were attempts to get their money. The couple preached a prosperity gospel and were building a million house when charges were filed.